DECISION 550
Formation of the Andean Identification and Civil Status Committee (CAIEC)

THE ANDEAN COUNCIL OF FOREIGN MINISTERS,

HAVING SEEN: Article 1 of the Cartagena Agreement, as codified in Decision 406; Article 6, paragraphs f) and i) of the Regulations of the Andean Council of Foreign Ministers approved through Decision 407; and Article 37 of the Regulations of the Andean Community Commission approved through Decisions 471 and 508; and

WHEREAS: The Identification Authorities of the Andean Area, at their First Meeting held on June 12 to 14, 2002, appealed to the Andean Parliament and the Andean Council of Foreign Ministers to take the necessary measures to create an Andean Council of Identification Authorities in keeping with existing Community law. The Meeting deemed it advisable to submit a Draft Decision for the formation of an Andean Identification and Civil Status Committee (CAIEC) to the Andean Council of Foreign Ministers;

The shaping of the Andean Common Market and the advances made toward attaining the unhampered movement of people make it necessary to integrate the identification and civil status processes in the Andean Community more fully, so that steps may be taken to establish a common database of identification data on individuals;

The establishment of the Common Market shall, likewise, entail the growing interdependence of Member Countries in their striving to build an enlarged space for the exercise of security and freedom, making it essential to have progressive access to the tools that will give national authorities the necessary confidence to allow for the free international movement of Andean Community citizens;

The General Secretariat has put forward Proposal 100/Rev. 1 on the Formation of the Andean Identification and Civil Status Committee (CAIEC);

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To form the Andean Identification and Civil Status Committee (CAIEC) as a consultative technical institution responsible for advising the Andean Council of Foreign Ministers and the Andean Community General Secretariat on matters relating to people’s identification and civil registration.

Article 2.- The terms of reference of the Andean Identification and Civil Status Committee (CAIEC) are the following:

a) To express its opinion to the Andean Council of Foreign Ministers and to the General Secretariat, at their request or on its own initiative, with regard to the programs or activities of the Andean integration process that are related to its purpose, sphere of responsibilities and terms of reference;

b) To identify, analyze, formulate and recommend the adoption of systematic and jointly executable technical assistance and information exchange projects and measures on identification and civil registration for the integration process;

c) To reinforce inter-institutional cooperation and promote the harmonization of national legislation on the personal identification and registration processes carried out in the Member Countries;

d) To suggest measures to perfect each Member Country’s pertinent domestic legislation and harmonize it at the Community level;

e) To propose measures and action to modernize and automate identification and registration systems in the Andean Subregion; and

f) To perform all other duties assigned to it by the Andean Council of Foreign Ministers and fulfill any requests that the Andean Community General Secretariat may make.

Article 3.- In order to comply with the provisions of the preceding article, the Committee shall adopt its internal By-laws, establishing the mechanisms for its organization and operation.

Article 4.- The Andean Identification and Civil Status Committee CAIEC) shall be comprised of a titular and an alternate representative of the competent national authorities, together with the Foreign Ministries. Each Member Country shall appoint its Representatives and accredit them with the Andean Community General Secretariat through its respective Foreign Ministry. The delegations may also include as many advisers as the countries wish.

The Foreign Ministry of each Member Country shall accredit its respective Head of Delegation for each CAIEC Meeting and that person shall be the country’s spokesman.

Article 5.- The Andean Identification and Civil Status Committee (CAIEC) shall coordinate its efforts with the Andean Committee of Immigration Authorities as appropriate.

Article 6.- The Andean Community General Secretariat shall act as the Committee’s Technical Secretariat.

Article 7.- This Decision shall enter into effect as of the date of its publication in the Cartagena Agreement’s Official Gazette.

Signed in the Quirama Recinto, Department of Antioquia, Republic of Colombia, on the twenty-fifth of June of two thousand three.